The death toll from an armed attack on a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan has risen to 11. Another 28 police personnel were injured in the incident. Police reported that 15 attackers were also killed during the retaliatory operation.
A statement from the provincial police headquarters on Thursday confirmed that the attack took place on Wednesday night in the Hangu district, near the Afghan border. The city’s police chief, Tariq Habib, told reporters that a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was among the fatalities.
Police claim the attack was carried out by members of the banned militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Pakistani government refers to this group as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’.
The TTP has long been targeting security forces and government installations across northwestern and southwestern Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep condolences to the families of the slain police personnel.
Attacks targeting security forces in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have seen a significant increase in recent times.
